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analysis w/e 14.5.11 |
DVDs out 9.5.11 |
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@ DVDfever Youtube |
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May 11 2011 
DVDfever co uk
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Lennon-esque psych-folk – pop, and teeny bit more. Whilst recuperating in bed for two years from a serious spinal injury five years ago, Robert Harrison clearly had a musical vision. During his enforced sabbatical, he conjured the idea of making an album, in this case a double, a bold move for a debut as FC&R. Better known as leader of Austin-based cult-reggae-heroes Cotton Mather, Harrison has veered towards '60s Beatles, and John Lennon in particular. It’s not a covers album, but an undisputed tribute to Lennon, deliberate or not. We also don’t know whether there will be a follow-up, which begs the question, what will influence Harrison next time around? Vocally, he’s dead-ringer for the ex-Beatle. If there is a Beatles album to be acknowledged it’s probably the White Album. Not wishing to make a straight ‘copy’, he’s mercurially thrown in some indigenous nuances, which gravitate towards folk-pop, though not as off the radar as the likes of Devendra Banhart, for example.
Harrison can do the moody-reflective thing juxtaposed by more accessible pop, with both styles working splendidly making it a fascinating listen. As with ‘doubles’ there’s a propensity to cram, and use fillers, so there’s the odd track that does that, which is a minor criticism. Musically, Harrison isn’t scared of throwing in orchestration, fuzzy guitars, and organ to beef-up the presentation of the songs which are very well crafted. Starting with Bird Of Prey, a shifting R&B style ballad with splashes of brass, its a pretty cool opening, segued by lightweight Beatles-like rocker Let Me Get Your Coat, whereas Hurricane Judy has more of a psychedelic twist with wiry guitar solos. Adding a tiniest touch of subtle reggae, This Really Is A Book could sit nicely next to Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. If there’s a single here, it has to be You Will Be Loved featuring rippling guitar breaks and strings and catchy chorus, with a massive brass blast mid-way. Out of the blue arrives Holy Janet... a thumping pop-rocker featuring a scintillating riff and edgey solos.
Best track of disc 1 is the cute slow shuffle of Green Mountain Clove featuring some haunting piano work that leads out the song. Ending with a code-switch, he tries his hand at rockabilly blues, which is out of context, but refreshing from the rest of the entire album, even if it’s a mere 1 minute 25 seconds. Going back to the ‘filler’, he needlessly reprises Quicksilver as 2, and further in Letters To Junius and Cowboy Weather are just pointless. Dirty power riffs hail Get Your Bootz On, a strikingly ‘original’ composition with Build Havana bringing on shades of Hall & Oates, except for the vocal. It’s a great, neat pop song. More psych-folk returns with the sweeping string arrangement of Malice Of Stars, and again, Lennon (and even Oasis, who they’ve already supported) isn’t too far away: no surprises there then. After Altitude he struggles (double album syndrome creeping in) but picks up form by CD 2s end, with, yep you guessed it, Beatles-esque Safety Zone. File under: Interesting, especially for Beatles fans. See the Amazon link above for the full track listing.
Weblinks: futurecloudsandradar.com / thestarapplekingdom.com
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier. PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
